


Broken Dreams- Serendipity Alternate Ending.

by Azurith



Series: Serendipity [3]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-20
Updated: 2013-02-20
Packaged: 2017-11-29 22:16:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/692092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azurith/pseuds/Azurith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the ruins of the Shinra building, old memories come alive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken Dreams- Serendipity Alternate Ending.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the end scene I had planned for Serendipity when I first started the fic. Obviously plot points changed and this outcome will never happen in the story but I liked the scene so much I figured I would type it out.
> 
> I had intended for things to play out similar to the original game, Genesis defecting, Angeal dying and Cloud losing his memory. That all lead here.

****

Genesis walked through the wreckage of the old Shinra building. He never thought that things would have fallen this far. That his mistakes would have lead to this much destruction. Everyone he had cared about was dead, all at his hand. Angeal had perished to Zack's blade at Modeoheim. Cloud had died of mako poisoning and Sephiroth had been killed by a group of anti-Shinra terrorist after destroying Midgar and nearly the world.

And for some reason the mastermind behind it all had been allowed to live. It seemed the universe was content to laugh at him. He had strived so hard to be the hero, and now he was the eternal villain.

The building was pretty far gone, but still the floor that had housed his, Angeal's and Sephiroth's quarters seemed to have fared better than some, and as he found his door he paused. This was the last place he and Cloud had been happy together. The night before he left and betrayed them all in his madness.

With a heavy heart he pushed the door open with his SOLDIER strength and stepped inside. He nearly felt sick as he did. How with all the destruction did his room look nearly untouched? Cloud's coat even still hung by the door. Pictures of the two of them still upright on the coffee table. The place a wreck he could have handled, having it hear as if he'd just left for a few years and come back wasn't something he could handle.

He stumbled over to one of the photo's and brushed off the dust. Cloud right after his promotion to 2nd stared up at him, happiness shown in his eyes and his arm was around Genesis. His mentor looking down at him with pride. All he could think of now was what he'd taken away from himself, what he'd destroyed in his madness.

But still he was here for a reason, he knew, as he pocketed the picture. There was something he'd left behind in his haste to run after his wing had appeared. Slowly he made his way into the bedroom, forcing the door open again and looked around. He glanced at the bed before looking away and opening the door to his closet.

He pushed aside his old clothing and knelt down, hoping the item was still there. As he did he saw the safe, that even Cloud hadn't known about. Though he would have told him shortly before things went down.

With an ingrained memory he opened the combination lock and swung the door open. The only thing that sat on the inside was a small velvet box. With a shaky hand he retrieved it before going to sit on the bed. He cracked the case and inside was a silver ring, once side engraved with flames, the other with ice, in the middle of the ring the intertwined together.

Genesis grasped the ring in his hand before laying down on the bed as the tears came, reminding him of what he lost. What he loved most, that blonde with the beautiful mako eyes that made him feel alive.

He cried and cried, until his sobs evened out and Genesis fell asleep.

* * *

 _"Yo, I tell ya man someone's messing in the old Shinra building. Up on the officer's floor. Rufus thinks someone's messing with Sephiroth's old room. We're stuck in Junon, and anyone mess'n with Sephiroth's old stuff is bad."_ Reno's voice filtered through Cloud's phone.

"Alright, I'll check it out. But for your sake this better not be a wild goose chase." Cloud snapped into the phone before ending the call.

Cloud was at the church anyway tending to the Buster Sword. He place it back in its shrine, before quickly making his way out of the church. Things had been better between them in the last few years, but he still didn't trust Reno . Well at least not to make this out to be some kind of joke.

He exited the church and mounted Fenrir heading for the old Shinra building. He glanced up at the tower, wondering what on Gaia was going on.

The trip was a bit tricky. The ruins were almost completely blocked after his last fight with Sephiroth and the Omega incident, but Cloud could still manage He parked his bike outside what would have been the lobby and made his way inside, climbing the ruins.

It seemed odd to him but he had no question about where the officer quarters were, knowing he had no reason to have ever been there. It was obvious how delusional he had been to think he'd been in SOLDIER let alone a 1st Class. He had been with SHINRA for less than a year when everything had happened. Not even enough time to make it through the cadet program.

Still this felt familiar, as he stood on the Officer's floor and decided that it had to be one of Zack's memories bleeding through. The man would have likely been up here often. As he looked though he saw the tracks in the dust, and realized someone was here.

He walked forward and saw a door had been forced open, but it wasn't Sephiroth's. _How do I know that?_ Cloud fought with himself. He hated when he couldn't get a handle on his broken memories. Hand on First Tsurugi he slowly moved into the apartment, and was hit with another wave of familiarity. He had been here before, a lot, not Zack. He could remember sitting on that couch with Zack. How was that possible? Who's room was this?

And image full of red assaulted his mind. A man with short red hair and a long red coat offered itself up. But who was he? And why did Cloud's chest ache at the thought?

 _'Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess, We seek it thus, and take to the sky. Ripples form on the water's surface, The wandering soul knows no rest.'_ The words spoken so passionately, but he could figure out if it was him or the man who spoke them. Loveless, what did Loveless have to do with this?

He glanced at the book shelf and wandered over to see several copies of the play all in various states of decay. The sight made him sad deep down, and he wasn't sure why. Had Loveless been important to him in his old life? Cloud hated not knowing.

Cloud walked away from the shelf and looked around, nothing seemed out of place so far, it was like the owner had just up and left. And old blue coat even hung at the door. He sighed then noticed another door forced open.

Cautiously he made his way back into the room, and drew his sword just in case. He had a feeling who ever had broken in, was still here back there. As he slipped in the door he nearly gasped. It was the man in his memory. He was curled up on the bed clutching something to his chest.

He lowered his sword and leaned over the sleeping form. A quick glance around the room and he spotted a picture of the man with his arms thrown around someone else with raven hair, smiling at the camera. Cloud realized who ever this was, this had been his room.

But the question of just who this man was eluded him. He knew this had been the floor Sephiroth stayed on as well but that didn't answer anything. And the question of why Cloud remembered being here so vividly remained.

Surprise over took him however as bright mako eyes flashed awake. The man looked like he was about to yell, when his face fell into shock. "Cll..loo..oud..d? " Genesis stuttered out.

"So you do know who I am." Cloud sighed as he stood up. Not many people knew him by face, only by name since news paper, and photographs in general were hard to come by.

"I could never forget you." Genesis replied looking like he just wanted to reach and touch Cloud.

"Unfortunately, I can't say the same. But I can't really remember anything that didn't happen in the last few years." Cloud admitted, though there was something about this man that stirred something in his core.

Genesis eyes lowered, it was some cruel trick Minerva was playing on him. Showing him his dear Cloud, when the man couldn't remember him. "I thought you were dead." Genesis admitted squeezing the ring even tighter.

"I should have been many times over." Cloud replied still not sure what to make of things. How had this man known Cloud? Someone who had been just a lowly cadet. "I have to ask, you obviously know me but how?"

Genesis was past broken a long time ago, and so he just looked at Cloud with sad eyes. "I was your Mentor Cloud, for the SOLDIER program." He decided to start simple. He didn't want to scare Cloud with declarations of undying love, even if he held the ring to prove it in his hand.

"I was never in SOLDIER." Cloud replied narrowing his eyes, becoming more wary of this man. Perhaps this was just some sick joke by a person who hadn't done their homework.

Genesis's eyes flashed a bit at that. "What all did that man take from you?" Genesis was obviously angry. "Cloud you made it through the SOLDIER program faster than anyone else in Shinra's history including myself, Angeal an Sephiroth. You were the youngest 1st Class SOLDIER in history."

Cloud took a step back and just stared at the man before him. Sephiroth definitely rang a few bells. "I don't believe you."

"You said yourself you can't remember. The evidence of it is all around this apartment. You lived here with me." Genesis demanded, taking the picture out of his pocket." This was taken by Zack right after your 2nd Class Promotion."

Cloud took the picture stunned. In his hands was a photo of him and Genesis as he stood there smiling with a second class uniform. "Zack." Cloud knew that name, but Genesis took it as another question.

"Angeal's student. You two became rather close even if I did think he was a bad influence." Genesis stood from the bed and walked closer to Cloud. "Your things are all still around her. I imagine your clothing, everything even your coat still hangs at the door. I was sure you were dead."

Genesis couldn't help it as he brushed a bit of hair out of Cloud's face. Cloud looked up nearly startled as a memory of the man in front of him startled him.

_They were standing together in this very room, many years ago, and Genesis leaned in and kissed Cloud guiding him to the bed. "I love Genesis." Cloud whisper._

_"I love you too Cloud." The man replied as they sank into the sheets tog ether._

"We were together." Cloud was shocked as he spoke.

"We were, until I was fool. I ran off and left you, I thought I was dying." Genesis explained, his voice was a bit choked. "I never thought I'd see you again. Yet here you are before me."

Feelings more than true memories surged within Cloud. Love, Hope, Despair, Grief all swirled around this man and Cloud knew his words were true. Genesis was the missing link. He had relied on people with only half the story but the truth was no one living had known him during his time at Shinra.

He nearly fell backwards with the weight of it all just staring at Genesis. Had he really pieced his old life together so horribly wrong? And how could he have so thoroughly forgotten someone that meant so much to him?

Genesis moved to his side. "I knew Hojo had gotten his hands on you completely after Nibelheim, I thought you were dead, I never even thought you were alive without your memories."

"I've been trying so hard to remember who I was." Cloud admitted, letting Genesis in close.

"I can help you fill in the blanks." Genesis offered, he wanted nothing more than to kiss this man. He knew now that he had found Cloud again he wasn't letting him go.

"I-" Cloud started before looking up a Genesis. Everything here told him this man was telling the truth. He vaguely remembered now. Genesis had been friends with Sephiroth. He had been friends with Sephiroth, had dinner with the man laughed with him.

It almost made him sick. No wonder he'd felt so betrayed. Know what Cloud knew now the manipulation the pain, Jenova's call. No one had been there for Sephiroth, everyone had abandoned him to his fate in the end.

That was something however he'd have to deal with later. Right now the man in front of him was more important. "Come with me." Cloud asked holding out his hand. "I mean I don't know where you've been, but you can't stay here the building isn't stable. We...we can collect our things and go."

Genesis nodded before pressing his hand into Clouds. "I'll go with you, but I want you to have this. I had intended to ask you to marry me, right after you hit first. But I never got to see it. It's yours and maybe someday I'll have a chance you might wear it."

Cloud looked at the beautiful ring in his hand. This wasn't what he had been expecting coming up here and his mind was still swirling placing things back together. He knew he still had feelings for this man, but time had taken its toll on both of them.

"Give me time." Cloud asked as he slipped the ring into a pocket. "I can't promise I'm still the man you feel in love with. But I'm willing to find out."

"That's all I ask." Genesis admitted before leaning in and gently placing his lips on Cloud's.

Cloud kissed him a back as his hands wove themselves into Genesis's hair, strong arms pulled him tight. It was new and old at the same time, and Cloud knew one thing for sure. He belonged in this man's arms.


End file.
